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Burgos earns start against Dodgers on Friday

4/20/13: Hiram Burgos strikes out David DeJesus swinging to record his first strikeout of his Major League career

By AJ Cassavell
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MLB.com |

SAN DIEGO -- Brewers right-hander Hiram Burgos pitched well enough in his big league debut to earn another start this Friday against the Dodgers.

With the Brewers off on Thursday, they could have opted to skip Burgos' turn in the rotation. But it's always been manager Ron Roenicke's preference to stick with a five-man rotation, so long as he isn't sacrificing quality.

Based on what he saw last Saturday against the Cubs, Brewers catcher Jonathan Lucroy said Burgos' upcoming start is merited.

"He threw well, and I think he definitely earned his second start right there," Lucroy said. "He'll go out there and give us a chance to win, and the key point to that is that he throws strikes."

The decision to start Burgos was made before Kyle Lohse dislocated his left pinkie finger on Monday night, but the possibility of giving Lohse an extra day of rest simply reinforced the decision for Roenicke.

Burgos tossed five solid innings against the Cubs, allowing just one run on five hits. But the numbers weren't what impressed Lucroy the most. It was the poise of the 25-year-old making his first career start.

"He's got a lot of maturity, a lot of poise out there," Lucroy said. "He's very calm, very collected, and those are the kinds of traits you look for in a pitcher."

AJ Cassavell is a reporter for MLB.com. Follow him on Twitter @ajcassavell. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.